Saving Flower Bud Village
by Pen Nibb
Summary: Jovi, the new farmer, gets dragged into freeing the Harvest Goddess. But in the bustle of her gaining notes, building her ranch, and Jamie despising her, the Oblivion Goddess pays Flower Bud a visit. Jamie and Jovi have to team up to save the village.
1. 1

Jovi looked at a sheet of paper in her hands, scanning the text with eyes the color of a neelam gem and nibbling on a few strands of her short, pale yellow hair.

_The Exciting Ranch Plan! We're looking for ranchers! Would you like to work in Flower Bud Village? Buy property that you choose and live a warm and rewarding lifestyle!_

_The Mayor of Flower Bud Village_

Jovi was seventeen years of age. For her entire life, she had lived the noisy, rushed, fast-food city lifestyle and she had had enough of honking taxi-cabs, rude people who cared only about themselves and what others thought of their appearance, and lack of scenery. As soon as Jovi had read the Exciting Ranch Plan, she knew that Flower Bud Village was where she belonged. She sold most of her possessions, including clothes, jewelry, movies, and video games, and packed what was left over in her little suitcase. She bid her mother and father farewell and caught a bus, her ticket reading "One Way to Flower Bud Village". As she clutched the plastic rings that a million people had touched hanging from the bus's ceiling, she wondered what kind of people she would meet in the village. Surely, they would be friendlier, made humble by their toil in the grassy fields. Maybe she would even find someone to settle down with. After all, seventeen was about around the age area where one should be preparing to create a family.

Jovi dozed off, and was awaken by the bus lurching to a stop outside of Honeycomb Town, one stop away from Flower Bud. She gathered her suitcase and made her way to the front of the bus as it pulled to a stop. The doors hissed open and Jovi hopped out onto the cobblestone path. Trees and grass and flowers were everywhere and she could see the tiny figures of bunnies, squirrels, and birds hopping through the foliage, filling the warm, sweet-scented air with musical animal sounds.

Behind her, the bus squealed and drove away. Jovi set a face of determination to do her best as she was out all on her own, pride of making it this far, worry of screwing up, and joy of being so free. She entered the town square and was surprised to see a short man with a very large mustache under his nose bounding towards her, his cheeks rosy.

"Welcome to Flower Bud Village! I expect you're the new farmer who came here on the Exciting Ranch Plan," he said, tipping his tall hat.

"That's me!" Jovi returned his ecstasy with a wide grin.

"I'm Theodore, the mayor of this lovely village. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

"I'll make sure to do that. Thanks," said the new rancher.

"Now, then, down to business," the mayor continued. "Where would you like to live? We have three pieces of land currently unoccupied; ocean side, town center, and river side. The ocean side is the largest and the town center is the smallest."

Jovi thought for a moment.

"Well, the river side would be the best for growing crops because of the silt deposited by the river and the ocean side would be best for raising animals due to its size. I think I will take the river side to start out with, and I'll purchase the ocean side later on, when I decide to take care of livestock," she concluded.

"Oh ho ho!" chuckled the mayor called Theodore. "A smart one, are we? Yes, I think you will get along just fine here. The river side it is, then!"

Jovi relished in the thought of her own property.

"Now then, you should speak to some of the villagers. They know all there is to know about ranching and can help you a lot. Here is a map." He gave her a folded piece of parchment. Opening it and pointing, he said, "And here is where your house is. It's used, so it has all the basics; a bed, a toolbox with some essential tools inside it, a refrigerator, and a television set. Outside, there's a shipping box where you put products you want to ship and a postbox and the lumber shed is behind the house."

Her head swimming with new data, Jovi said goodnight and thank you to the mayor of Flower Bud Village and followed the map to her new house. A smile spread across her face as she approached the house. Her house. The one she had all to herself and the one nobody but she could call theirs. Excited, she ran inside. Everything was there, as the mayor said, and more. She even found a diary on the side table by her bed. She had always wanted one, but life in the city was too dull and routine for a diary to be of any use. But now, she was on the adventure of her lifetime, shiny and fresh like a recently minted penny. Hopping onto the mattress, she opened the diary to the very first page and began writing with a pencil that she found in a special slot on the inside.

_Dear Diary,_

_So the journey begins. I'm out on my own, so far loving it, and I'm excited to be able to do whatever I want, whenever I want to do it, and however I want to do it. I feel so independent. In all honesty, though, I miss my parents. I think I'll invite them to my new home when I get things growing and my ranch running. Boy, will they be surprised to see what I'll have accomplished. Me, the girl with her head in the clouds and her feet, bare, who spontaneously dropped out of school and left home to start a life in the country, making a living off dirt-encrusted vegetables and broken eggs, having done the unthinkable and the stuff of dreams, in spite of what all the odds were saying. Ha-ha, that sounds a lot more cliché now that it's on paper._

Jovi yawned halfway through, realizing all in one moment how exhausted she was. She decided to tie things up and go to bed.

_Well, that's all for tonight. I'd better get some shut-eye. Or rather, I should hit the hay. Early to bed, early to rise. We'll see what tomorrow holds. Goodnight, Diary._

_~Jovi_

Setting the diary down, she rested her head on her pillow, closed her blue eyes, and fell fast asleep.


	2. 2

_There was a green spring. Crystal running water trickled over the levels of earth. Glowing lights danced about. Three small persons, one dressed in blue, another in red, the other in yellow, stood before a woman with long purple hair. Behind her, membranous wings fluttered slightly. Her face was beautiful. But it was sad._

_"People forget how to appreciate," she began, closing her eyes in sorrow. "They forget kind thoughts… The heart to believe… the heart to love… And my existence." The sprites before her didn't say anything. There was nothing they _could _say. _

_"Goodbye, everyone," she said, and before the sprites could respond, a bright flash burst and she had turned into gray, cold stone._

_"Ahh!!!" the red nymph exclaimed in surprise. "The Harvest Goddess has turned to stone!"_

_"Ahh!!!" the blue one cried out. "The Harvest Goddess!"_

_"Ahh!!!" the one dressed in yellow howled._

_Suddenly, a person with purple hair, a poncho, and a cowboy had appeared, running frantically to stand before the Harvest Goddess. At the sight of the stone statue, his face contorted in worry and grief._

_"What has she turned into?" he asked, though it seemed he didn't intend for anyone to answer. "I… I will… get you back to normal." _

Jovi awoke with a jump. Her heart was thudding against her rib cage. She eased out of bed and stretched her arms in the air to wake her muscles up.

"Just a dream," she said. "What a peculiar dream. The Harvest Goddess… I've never heard of her before." Finally, after pondering over it a moment, she sighed. "I bet it was that bagel I ate before I left in a hurry to catch the bus. Something about it wasn't quite… good."

Deciding not to think about it anymore, Jovi began to get ready for the day. It was six-o'clock in the morning, and she had told herself she wanted to get started to work before eight. She pulled on a pair of overalls she had purchased in the city, which was a surprisingly hard find, for the very occasion. She stuffed her feet into lace-up boots that were made out of thick leather to protect her legs. Peering into the mirror, she twisted rubber bands around clumps of yellow hair below her ears, not as an aid in keeping it out of her face, but more as a sort of self-proclaimed fashion statement. It did look cute, alongside the overalls.

Jovi was ready to go outside. She wished she had had some food to eat before she set to work, but alas, she had none. She exited her house and stepped outside. The air was cool, but the promise of heat and humidity whispered in the wind. She took a deep breath of the country. Putting one foot forward, she yelped when it touched something squishy.

And that squishy something yelped back.

"Hey!"

Jovi's eyes darted down to see a tiny person dressed in yellow lying on the ground, looking up at her in fear.

"You almost stepped on me, yeah!" He got up and brushed himself off.

"Carlos!" Two more of the little creatures emerged, one wearing red and the other wearing blue.

"Where were you, yeah?" said the red one.

"We looked all over, yeah!" said the blue one.

"I almost got mashed, yeah! By this girl," the sprite named Carlos shook a miniature impertinent finger at the teenager dressed like a rancher towering above them.

It suddenly hit Jovi. These were the goblins from her weird dream. She rubbed her eyes and looked down again. They were there, alright, and not to mention having a minor quarrel, as well.

"If you hadn't wandered off, you wouldn't have almost gotten trampled, yeah!" slung the blue sprite.

"I wouldn't have gotten lost if you two hadn't walked so fast, yeah!" Carlos shot back.

"The Harvest Goddess would be upset with you guys, yeah! She told us not to fight!" The red one appeared to be the leader of the small group.

They continued to bicker until, above their small, high voices, Jovi hollered, "Silence, small things!"

The three sprites gaped at Jovi.

"What? You can see us?" inquired the one in red.

"It's been a while since someone could see us, yeah!" The blue one hopped up and down excitedly.

"I have a favor to ask, yeah!" Carlos waved his small arms.

What happened next was almost a blur to Jovi. The sprites proceeded to drag her up a series of cliffs and hills to the spring where her dream had taken place. On the way, Jovi learned that the sprite in red was named Arthur and the sprite in blue was called Billy. When all four of them where standing on a sort of peninsula before the stone silhouette of the goddess, Arthur said, "That's the Harvest Goddess, but something has happened to her!"

"Yeah, no kidding." Jovi studied the statue, hardly able to believe all of this was happening.

"She turned into stone one year ago and has been that way since!" Billy looked forlorn.

Carlos tugged on Jovi's shoelace. "Please! I want you to return the Harvest Goddess to her former self, yeah!"

"Umm… sure. What do I have to do?" the girl asked.

"A lot of notes are needed to return the Harvest Goddess to her former self, yeah!" Arthur explained.

"I want you to collect a lot of notes, yeah!" Billy said.

"Notes? Like on a sheet of music? So all I have to do is get a bunch of songs and bring them here? Or… do I have to… sing?" She asked the last question in a quiet voice. Jovi had been self-conscious of her singing voice her entire life.

"You won't have to sing," said Carlos.

"But those are the notes we mean, yeah!" Billy added.

Jovi heaved a sigh of relief. But a new problem presented itself. How on Earth was she supposed to collect music notes? Her thoughts were interrupted by a "Humph!" behind her. She spun around, nearly falling over, to see the person with purple hair from her dream.

"I guess you found another person that can see you guys, huh?" He crossed his arms and scowled, looking Jovi over. "Give up already."

"Jamie!" The sprites bounced over and skipped about Jamie's feet.

"Jamie! We're gonna find notes together, yeah!" Arthur grinned. Jamie's arms uncrossed and were thrown downward in anger.

"Stop bugging me!" He shoved the poor little sprites out of his way with his feet. "I don't wanna hang out with you guys! She got that way because of humans in the first place!" Jovi could tell right off the bat that Jamie was not a happy camper.

Billy ran over to Jovi and hugged her boot.

"But the Harvest Goddess told us to get along with people, yeah!"

Jamie humphed even louder and more crossly, then spat, "You guys do whatever you want to do. I'm the one who'll rescue her, you'll see." And with that, he stormed out of the spring.

The other two sprites leapt to Jovi's toes.

Arthur said, "Jovi, do your best, yeah!"

Billy informed, "If you do a lot of things, you'll get a lot of notes, yeah!"

"Oh, I think I see how it works, now," Jovi said, enlightened.

"Take this; it'll help you, yeah!" Carlos handed Jovi a blue square with a screen. Upon closer inspection, she found that it was a pedometer. "If you carry the pedometer with you, it'll count your steps and you'll be able to tell how hard you've worked!"

Grateful, Jovi hooked the step-counting machine onto her overalls. Jovi waved goodbye to the little sprites, who were each wishing her luck and waving as well, and started to leave the spring, but was stopped upon feeling a warm, rushing, bubbling sensation inside her. A stream of colorful waves filled the space and in Jovi's hands, a little music note appeared. It fluttered happily.

In a cheerful, ringing voice, the note said, "It's difficult to take the first step, no matter what you're doing. The first step of life note."

Awestruck, she whirled back to the elves and showed them the little note. They seemed equally amazed.

"A note!" Arthur exclaimed. "You've picked up a note!"

"So you get different notes like that, yeah!" Billy beamed. "There are a hundred notes in all! You can get them all if you do your best!"

"Five notes make a musical instrument, so after you've collected five notes, I want you to come back to the Harvest Goddess Spring, yeah!" encouraged Carlos.

The warm note disappeared in Jovi's hands.

"Cool." She grinned.

After a back-breaking trek downhill, dodging rocks, slipping on weeds, Jovi looked up the road where her cozy cottage was to see a girl with short brown hair waiting outside her house. Jovi hurried over, not liking to keep people waiting for her.

"Hi there," Jovi said, catching her breath.

"Hello," greeted the girl. "You are the one who signed up for the Exciting Ranch Plan, right? I'm Ellen, and we also run a ranch. It's right across the road, so it looks like we'll be neighbors! Nice to meet you!"

"Yeah, I'm the new farmer. I'm Jovi." Jovi extended her hand. "It's nice to meet you, too."

Both girls smiled warmly. They knew they would be good friends.

"My ranch… well, my family's ranch, is called Blue Sky Ranch. It's mainly a livestock farm, so we sell animals and animal products. If you're ever in the market for some critters, you should come see us."

"Thanks, that's a lot of help. I wouldn't know where anything is, and I would probably get lost," Jovi admitted, embarrassed.

"Oh, it's no problem," said Ellen. Then, remembering something, the brown-haired girl clapped her hands once. "Oh yeah! I wanted to ask you a big favor." She sped over to a clump of weeds and grass, reached in, and, like a magician pulls a hare out of a hat, Ellen lifted a squirming puppy of the greenery. She brought the creature over and set it before Jovi.

"Aww!" Jovi was a sucker for baby animals.

"This puppy was in our most recent litter, and we can't find anyone who wants a pet, so would you…?"

Instantly, the puppy was snatched into Jovi's arms.

"I'll take really really good care of her! Thank you so much! I'm going to call her Muffin!" The new farmer squeezed the dog affectionately.

Ellen's face went blank, and then she looked at the ground.

"J-Jovi?"

"Mhm?" Jovi replied through a face full of brown fur.

"That dog is a male."

This time, Jovi's face went blank. She giggled nervously.

"O-oh. Sorry. In that case, I'll name him Finn."

The puppy named Finn barked approvingly, and the two girls laughed.

"Thank you for taking care of Finn for me, and I hope everything goes smoothly for you!" Ellen departed, vanishing into the large ranch house next door.

Jovi kissed the top of her new pet's head and brought him indoors, since it was starting to get dark. She set him down on the floor in front of the TV screen and sat down beside him. He licked his big paws and gnawed on a bit of wood he found on the ground. Jovi turned on the screen and a program fizzed into action.

_Tomorrow's weather sees clear skies and lots of sunshine. Make sure to water those plants!_

"The weather here is a lot nicer than the city's," she told her dog. He whined. "We weren't allowed to have pets in our apartment building. The superintendant was allergic, but I think he was just an old grouch." She thought for a moment. "Speaking of grouches, what's that kid Jamie's problem? I just got pulled into giving the Harvest Goddess a hand, and he got all upset. I hope he's not like that every day…" She trailed off.

Jovi looked down at Finn, who had fallen asleep in half-lick of his paw. Murmuring words of love, she picked him up and set him on the foot of her bed. She changed out of her overalls and into a nightshirt. Then, she slid under the warm covers and picked up her diary.

_Dear Diary,_

_Today was strange. To start off, I had a weird dream of a pretty lady turning into stone and a boy with a cowboy hat vowing to return her to normal. Then, when I woke up, I nearly stepped on a pixie. Obviously, not everyone can see them, because he and his two little friends were a bit taken aback by my awareness of their presence. Then, they dragged me up a mountain and to a spring where the same lady from my dream was. It turned out the entire vision was true, like a flashback or something. Anyways, the sprites, Carlos, Arthur, and Billy, told me to collect music notes to make instruments to free the Harvest Goddess. All I have to do is live life and I'll get music notes for certain tasks I accomplish. I wonder what sort of things I have to do. _

_After they told me that, the same boy with a cowboy hat showed up all huffy and started getting all worked-up about me helping the Harvest Goddess. He said that he was gonna show me what for. That he was gonna free her himself. The nerve of that guy! I think he woke up on the wrong side of the cot._

_When I got back from that little outing, this really nice girl named Ellen who lives across the way showed up at my house and gave me a puppy. I named him Finn and he is the most adorable thing to walk on four legs. _

_Now, it's time for bed, but I'll have more for you tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be really nice and I'm going to look for something to plant. I wonder what grows in spring._

_~Jovi_

Satisfied, Jovi lay the diary down and scooted farther under the covers. She felt warmth radiating from the compression where Finn lay, snoring. She closed her eyes and drifted to sleep, crickets chirping and owls hooting a melody of the nighttime atmosphere.


	3. 3

Six a.m. sharp. Jovi crept out of bed and dressed in the same overalls from yesterday. She figured they hadn't gotten particularly dirty, since she was at the Harvest Goddess Spring for the majority of the day. Jovi was now ravenously hungry, so she decided, before attempting to start a garden, to find somewhere to eat. She lifted Finn in her arms and went outside. She assumed that Finn would stick around the general area of the house, seeing as he was more than happy sniffing about the shipping box and barking at squirrels. Jovi took out her map. She had a feeling it would come in handy more than a few times. Scanning the map, she spotted a building with a loaf of bread marking it. Anticipating a full, hot meal, Jovi stuffed the map inside her front pocket and began skipping down the road. Before long, she came upon a nice, clean-looking building with the same little picture of the loaf of bread. She bolted inside.

It was nice; spacious, with tables and chairs and a bar. The furniture, walls, and floor were wooden, as was just about everything in Flower Bud Village, and the room smelled of pine. At the register, a man in a sweater vest smiled.

"Welcome," he addressed Jovi. "Are you in need of a room for the night?"

Jovi shook her head. "I have my own ranch. I was just really hungry and I saw the bread sign and so I thought that I might find something to eat here."

The man chuckled.

"You've come to the right place." That one sentence made Jovi the happiest girl on Earth. "This is the Perch Inn. My niece, Gwen, is an excellent cook. Gwen! We have a hungry customer!" He called into the back room.

A girl with stunning red eyes and blonde hair pulled up in a spiky ponytail rounded the corner and stood beside her uncle.

"Hi, Hungry Customer, I'm Gwen, and this is my uncle, Doug." She produced a pad of paper and a pencil from one of the many pockets on her jean vest. "What can I do you for?"

"Well, anything works right now." Jovi's mouth was watering. "What do you have?"

Gwen listed, by heart, a spectacular menu that Jovi could almost taste just hearing the names of the dishes. She chose a cheese omelet, and it was placed before her in record time. Gwen and Doug watched as Jovi dug in, her empty stomach happily accepting the warm cooked egg. When she was finished, Gwen took her plate and Jovi stood up and thanked them for the meal.

Opening her wallet, Jovi asked, "How much was that?" She had saved over seven hundred Gs before her arrival in Flower Bud.

"Six hundred Gs," Doug replied. Jovi payed for the food, thanked the inn owners, and started off into the morning.

Peering back into the wallet as she walked, she sighed. She had a little less than two hundred Gs left. She hoped that seeds wouldn't be expensive. Bringing out her map once more, she spied the house with a turnip sign. She followed the path until she saw it. Anxious to see if she had enough money, she entered the ranch.

This house was also spacious, with stone flooring instead of wood. It was a subtle change, but nice. Behind the counter on which an array of colorful packets with little pictures of vegetables on the front were spread, a woman with purpley-pink hair and a green ribbon holding it back smiled.

"Welcome to Spring Farm," she said as Jovi approached the counter.

"Hello," Jovi replied warmly. She wanted to make as many friends as she could in this new place.

"Oh," the woman chuckled, but not a make-fun-of chuckle, a happy chuckle of realization. "Are you the new farmer from the Exciting Ranch Plan?"

"I am. My name's Jovi."

"My name is Liz. It's very nice to meet you, Jovi. How can I help you?"

"I was looking to buy some seeds. I need to start things growing."

"Ah, yes. We only sell the seeds for this season, so you don't have to worry about buying the right ones. We also sell grass seed and tree saplings. As a sign of friendship, please take these."

Liz handed Jovi two packets of turnip seeds.

"That's great! Thank you!" The new farmer marveled at the kindness shown by the woman.

"It's really no problem. I hope things aren't too difficult for you," said Liz.

"So far, it's not," Jovi assured. "Do you live her alone?" She looked about, noticing how quiet the Spring Farm was.

"Oh, no. My daughter lives here as well." The woman stepped lightly to a door to the back part of her house. "Nina, dear, come meet the new farmer."

She returned to the counter with a small girl with bright eyes and pink, curly hair. She looked like her mother.

"Hello there, I'm Nina!" Nina said.

"I'm Jovi. A pleasure to meet you." Jovi found meeting so many new faces a bit confusing.

"Likewise. Hey, Jovi, I want you to have this." The girl handed her a small book. She read the title. It read simply _Crops_. "It's a notebook on crops. If you ever have trouble with planting things, you can take a look at that, and all your questions will be answered."

Hugging the book to her chest, Jovi said, "Thanks, this helps a lot!"

Jovi asked for two more packets of the turnip seeds, which was just under two hundred Gs, much to her delight. The mother and daughter wished her luck as she left. Jovi skipped on home, watching the setting sun in the sky and trying not to get too distracted by the cute wild animals that played at the base of the trees. Finally, she made it home, after taking two wrong turns and ending up back at Spring Farm once. Finn scampered towards her, barking and panting, happy to see her again. She scratched the top of his head and continued on inside. Digging in the toolbox, she discovered an iron hoe and a watering can.

"Handy dandy," she smirked, carrying the tools outside.

First, Jovi pulled up weeds, throwing them away in the garbage can near her house. She hated weeds, especially dandelions that gave off the illusion of being a pretty flower. After she threw away her twentieth clump of weeds, the sparkling sensation rose up in her again and another note twinkled in her hand.

"Throw garbage in the garbage can. It's an important rule to protect the beautiful surrounding," said the little note.

In high spirits, now, she then set to tilling the soil in two long rows. As expected, the soil was very fertile and it was cool and a bit damp to the touch. She saw a worm and screeched, thinking it was a human finger. But it was not, and she laughed at her stupidity and picked the squirming thing up, and transferred it safely to another patch of dirt off of her property.

The tilling done, she opened the packages of seeds and sprinkled them about. She had to shoo Finn away from licking the seeds up off the ground. Finally, she filled her watering can and evenly watered each square of tilled earth. Done, Jovi straightened, wiping sweat off of her brow, and looked at her finished work. The sun had set, and darkness had snuck in. Bugs were beginning to sing their high-pitched chorus. Jovi found Finn lying under the mailbox, fast asleep. She picked him up and brought him inside. After changing and washing her overalls and her face, she turned on the TV, learning that it was going to be sunny tomorrow, perfect weather for the Egg Festival the day after tomorrow. After checking her calendar and affirming that the Egg Festival was indeed two days away, she slipped into bed and grabbed her diary. Oh, how she loved that diary.

_Dear Diary,_

_It seems that I am running short on money. I might have to scrounge around for things that I can sell. I mean, I have to eat, right? While we're on the matter of food, I had the most amazing cheese omelet today. It was cooked by Gwen, Doug's niece, at the Perch Inn. I might have to go there again._

_Later, I bought some turnip seeds from Spring Farm, and the owners, Liz and her daughter, Nina, were nice enough to give me two seed packets and a notebook on crops, free of charge. I'm beginning to like it around here, even more than when I first set food in this town, if at all possible. It's so quaint and kind-hearted. Much nicer than the city. I'm glad I decided to do this Exciting Ranch Plan. _

_Going a bit off-topic here, I haven't seen Jamie all day. He lives nearby, so I assumed I would see him often, but I didn't. Perhaps he was sulking, muttering curse words under his breath directed toward me. I wish he'd give me a chance. We're both in this 'Free the Harvest Goddess' deal together, so wouldn't it be better if we teamed up? Oh well. Perhaps I'll see him tomorrow. I'll talk to him about it._

_Goodnight, Diary. We shall see what tomorrow holds (hopefully some turnip sprouts)._

_~Jovi_

Jovi yawned. She was tired and tomorrow would be a busy day, tending to her new crops. She also needed a perimeter around her property. She had seen others using wooden stakes and she had also spotted some of them lying on unused land, so it would probably be okay if she took them. Rubbing her blue eyes, Jovi set the book on the nightstand and pulled the covers up to her chin.

"Night night, Finn," she called to her puppy. She received a doggy snore in return. She smiled as she drifted off to sleep.


	4. 4

Early the next morning, Jovi received a loud knock on her door. She stepped onto the cool wooden floor, then the bubbly sensation arose inside her again, and a tiny, colorful note materialized in her hand.

"When you have no money, you fully understand its importance. A note for reevaluating the value of money," the note twinkled.

"Well," Jovi sighed. "If that isn't inspirational, I don't know what is." It was disheartening to Jovi that she would receive such a note first thing in the morning.

She answered the door, still in her baggy nightshirt, to find a young man with straw colored hair and a little black vest.

"Hi!" He was bright for it being so early in the day. "My name is Carl, and my dream is to open and run a café that sells cute little cakes and delicious tea!"

Jovi decided immediately that she liked this Carl. He was upbeat and positive and set big goals for the future.

"That sounds exciting! I hope your dream comes true, because if it did, I would visit your café all the time," she told him, and his face lit up.

"Aha! That's so nice of you," he smiled and blushed a little. "Hey, did you hear about the Egg Festival tomorrow?"

"Oh yeah, I did. How do you have an Egg Festival? Egg-shaped floats?"

Carl chuckled. "It's a festival dedicated to egg products, like cakes and omelets and deviled eggs. Last year we didn't have enough eggs to have the festival, but this year, I donated a lot of them, so we should be able to have it."

"Oh, that's too bad." Jovi was suddenly aware of just how small Flower Bud was, a farming community not having enough eggs. "I wish I could donate, but I don't have any chickens yet. I just moved here two days ago on the Exciting Ranch Plan."

"Jovi? I heard about you from Nina! She said you were really nice and really pretty, but now that I see you, you're much prettier than I imagined." Carl smirked.

Jovi looked at her bare toes and smiled, too.

"Thanks," she murmured, embarrassed that someone would find her attractive.

"It was nice meeting you, Jovi. I'll see you at the Egg Festival!" Carl skipped away merrily.

"Nice kid," said Jovi to herself. Then, she remembered her turnip plants. Not bothering to change out of her pajamas, the girl ran around her house to her backyard, were she had planted the seeds. In the morning sun, tiny two-leaved sprouts danced and glistened.

"Yes!!! I did it!!! I'm an official farmer!!!" Jovi leapt for joy, her nightshirt flying above her knees.

"You're making a racket," said a curt voice from road, followed by a _humph! _Jovi turned to face Jamie. He looked at her over shirt with her long legs protruding from under it and her messy yellow hair then snapped his gaze over to the new sprouts poking out of the soil.

"They'll die before the day is over," Jamie said hurtfully. Then, he continued down the road, going wherever it was he was going with his chin held high in arrogance. Jovi looked at her baby turnip plants.

"I'll show him." She smiled, despite feeling put-down by the purple-haired farmer. With a new sense of purpose, Jovi rushed inside, threw on her overalls and boots, tied her hair in low pigtails, grabbed her watering can and Finn, and returned to the misty outdoors. Finn again sniffed along the house, pawing at slow snails and bounding crickets, while Jovi filled her watering can and wet the turnip sprouts gently, being careful not to pour too fast and kill the plants. When she was finished, she patted Finn on the head and walked up the road, around Blue Sky Ranch, towards the mountains. She saw Jamie's ranch, the one that was painted purple to match his hair. Rows upon rows of crops displayed plump fruits and vegetables. She wondered when her garden would look like that.

Continuing up the path on the slopes, Jovi spied a spiky yellow orb resting in the grass. She went over to it and picked it up. A heavy, syrupy scent wafted from it, making her mouth water.

"Just one bite can't hurt," Jovi reassured herself, fearing that the thing might be poisonous or rotten. She tentatively nibbled a bit off.

It was delicious and it made her feel energetic. She gulped down the rest and wiped her chin.

"Mighty tasty. I bet if I gathered a bunch of these, I could sell them!" Jovi reasoned. She jogged up the incline, collecting every yellow fruit in sight. When she could not carry any more, she began to head down the hill, back towards her house. The little night bugs were already swarming around every light source in the dark when she got back. Tired, she dropped the fruits in the shipping box.

Jovi's fingertips tingled and a shining and flurrying in her hands told her that she had received another note.

"Received with your first shipping box shipment," chimed the note, its glow lighting up Jovi's face. "Lots of deliveries from the first. Happiness of the very first delivery note."

"I think that makes three!" Jovi beamed. "I'm getting the hang of this!"

The girl entered her ranch home and closed the door tightly behind her. From behind a tree a little ways away, a boy in a poncho and a cowboy hat watched her.

"No good. She's already collected a bunch." Jamie shook his head. "She's a lot more dedicated than I thought she was."

"We knew she would help us, yeah!" said Carlos in an I-told-you-so matter. Jamie shot the nymph a heated glare which sent him into a fit of trembling.

"We'll just see how long she holds out." The purple-haired lad traipsed away, three fairies springing after him.

In her warm house now, Jovi hopped into bed. She had been surprised that Finn was already inside, but she assumed that the door had been left a hair open and he had decided that he had had enough of the great outdoors.

Setting her diary in her lap, Jovi wrote:

_Dear Diary, _

_ My turnip plants have sprouted and I am an official rancher, now! I feel so domestic! That kid, Jamie, showed up and put down all my hard work. He's a nub. I think he knows that, too._

_ I met a really nice boy today. His name is Carl and he's an aspiring café owner. I hope he gets his dream. He's really bubbly and he's really cute- he has big chocolate eyes. I'm sure he'll make it._

_ I got two notes today, one, good, and the other, not so good. I got the bad one first as soon as I woke up. It was the "Poor Note". I got it for having almost no money. Step back a moment and take a good look at the situation… New town, new house, second day, no money. Pitiful. But later, I got another note for my first shipment. I shipped these strange-looking fruits that smell and taste like candy. I wonder how much money I will get in the morning for those._

_ Well, off to bed now. Nighty night._

_ ~Jovi_

Jovi's lids were heavy on her eyeballs. She forgot to set her diary on her side table and fell asleep with it in her arms and Finn at her feet, curled into a C shape.


	5. 5

Over went the overalls, the buttons were fastened, the pigtails were tied, the boots were laced, the face was washed. Jovi was ready for the Egg Festival, but before she could head to the town square, which was a fairly long walk from her house by the river, she had to water her turnip plants. They were definitely bigger today, which made Jovi excited. She doused them with the clear water from the watering hole near the back of her property and threw the watering can inside. Finn yelped when it clattered against the footboard of the bed. Jovi was off, walking briskly down the stone path, towards the plaza.

"Chee! Chee!" A piping tweet from the side of the road caught Jovi's too-easily-caught attention. It was a sparrow, still young and very soft by the looks of it. It shook its downy head atop a nonexistent neck and hopped off, further into the trees.

"Aw!" Jovi cooed and she began to trail it. It took her past two ranches and up into the mountains, around some trees, over a boulder or two, and across a bridge. Finally, Jovi tripped on a weed for the billionth time. She shrieked as she took a dive face-first into the dirt. The sparrow panicked and disappeared into the brush. Jovi lay there for a moment, her nose burning badly.

"Are you alright, there?" A deep voice entered her ears. Jovi looked up. In front of her, clutching a fishing pole, was a young man with blue eyes like hers and brown hair fixed back in a ponytail. He had a kind face and he smelled like nature. He stretched out a hand. Now, Jovi's nose only burned half as badly as her cheeks as she took his hand and was pulled to her feet.

"You took a pretty nasty spill," he said. "Those weeds are everywhere and they're easy to trip on if you aren't careful."

Jovi averted her eyes. She translated this as him calling her clumsy.

"I-I'll be more careful next time," said the girl quietly.

"Don't worry about it. I'm Ray," said the young man named Ray. "What's your name?"

"Jovi. I just moved here." She gained the courage to look at Ray as she spoke. "On the Exciting Ranch Plan."

"Is that right?" Ray smiled warmly. "The whole town's talking about you. I'm pleased to meet you, Jovi."

"Likewise, I'm sure." The smile was returned. A moment of merely happy faces glowing was spent. Then Ray stepped forward and brushed Jovi's face with his soft fingers.

"Hold on, you got a bit of dirt on you." Jovi was frozen and she knew that her face was doing a rather splendid job of impersonating a ripe tomato.

"T-thank you," she said after Ray had removed all the soil.

"Don't mention it."

"So… You fish?" It was a somewhat rhetorical question, Jovi thought, to ask a man who carried about a fishing pole.

"Yeah, fishing is my life," explained the fisherman. "I've been trying to catch this one fish folk here in Flower Bud Village call 'The King', but he hasn't taken my bait yet. He's said to be the biggest fish for a hundred miles around. I think I'm the only one trying to catch him. Others have just given up, but I'm sure I can do it if I'm persistent."

"You definitely will catch him," Jovi guaranteed. She took an imaginary globe in her hand and gave it a shake. Then, she studied it for a second before saying, "All signs point to yes." She grinned from ear to ear.

Ray chuckled at her make-believe magic eight ball.

"Oh snap!" Jovi suddenly exclaimed. "The Egg Festival! I got so side-tracked, it's probably going to start any second!"

"The Egg Festival? I was just on my way there, now." Ray shifted his pole from one hand to the next and held out the unoccupied arm to Jovi. "Would you accompany me to the festivities, fine lady?"

This made Jovi blush again. She took Ray's arm.

"It would be my pleasure, good gentleman."

The two walked down the hills and twisted around the stone pathways, Ray steering Jovi away from approaching weeds, until they reached the town square. A banner had been erected at every entrance with eggs and egg products displayed in vibrant colors. Jovi thanked Ray for escorting her and went to chat with the mayor, Theodore.

"Jovi!" Theodore's short round figure bobbed with joy. "It's been a while! How is life on the farm?"

"It's great, Mayor," replied the new rancher. "I'm really enjoying living in Flower Bud. We never had anything like an egg festival in the city."

"Well, prepare to be pleasantly surprised." The mayor swept a chubby hand through the air, motioning to dozens of tables with rich, crumbly pastries, eggs cut and made fancily with different ingredients, and just plain white, perfectly oval eggs. "Enjoy!"

Jovi scanned the courtyard and found Jamie all by his lonesome in a corner with a large batch of shiny eggs. She skipped over and he scowled at her.

"What do you want?"

"Just wanted to say hi," Jovi said. "You have a lot of nice eggs, there. How many chickens do you have? Is it hard to raise chickens? What are their names? How many eggs do your chickens lay on average?"

Jamie winced as he was assailed by questions.

"Leave me alone." He turned his back to the curious girl.

"You know, you don't have to be a scrooge." Jovi's voice was shockingly vinegary.

"I'm not a scrooge. I just know who I don't like. And I don't like you."

"I come over to greet you and I compliment your eggs and you treat me like scum. Brilliant, Jamie, just simply brilliant."

"I don't have anything to say to you, little girl," lobbed Jamie. "Go away."

The 'little' part really hit home in Jovi. For her entire life, she had been picked on because of her size. She was seventeen years old and she still looked like a ninth grader. Jovi was furious and she had a sudden desire to smother Jamie's face with one of his own eggs, but she simply gave him a look of disapproval and walked away. It was a better response.

Jamie sat on the sidewalk in front of a tree, chewing a delicate piece of cheesecake. It was delicious, but it made him a bit worried since it was from a rival. He peered across the plaza and stared as Jovi dashed up to that idiot fisher, Ray, with two plates of pudding. He watched them sit beside each other and count down, then take the first bite at the same time. Simultaneously, their faces lit up at the taste and they began to ramble on about the dish. Suddenly, inside his rib cage, Jamie felt a dull ache, something he had never felt before. He sniffed the cake and decided it was not the cause of the twinge and, from his many years of becoming accustomed to working on his ranch, he knew it was not a muscle cramp. He set his fork down on his plate and gulped. Was it… Could it be… jealously? No, no. It couldn't be. Jamie didn't get jealous. He had everything- abundant crops, the title of the best rancher in Flower bud, and he could see Carlos, Arthur, and Billy- so there was nothing he could really be envious about… right? He leaned back and plucked a little green stem with a bit of fuzz on the end of it, sticking it between his lips. He nibbled on the end of the plant until the mayor announced that the Blue Skye Ranch was the winner of the competition and that the Egg Festival was officially over. He stood up, heaving a mellow sigh. He gathered his eggs and headed toward one of the bannered entrances. Unluckily for him, Jovi and Ray were standing under it, saying their goodbyes. He yanked his hat lower over his face, but even if they ignored him, he could not ignore them.

"I had a really good time, today, Ray," Jovi was saying.

"Me too. I hope we can hang out again," was Ray's reply.

Jamie's mouth tightened into a grimace.

"Good luck catching 'The King'." Jovi was twirling a strand of her yellow hair. This made Jamie's face steam. He walked faster and soon escaped the sound range of the conversation. After putting his sack of eggs away, he scuffled over to the well where he got water from. He removed his hat and splashed some of the spring-tainted lukewarm water onto his face and dried off with his poncho. Not bothering to don his hat once more, he knelt and petted his dark-furred dog. He smiled a little, forgetting about Jovi for a split second. But then…

"Hey, you don't have your hat on." Jamie bolted upright at the sound of her voice. She was leaning on his fence, touching his property. "You look… nice… with it off. I can see your face better."

He frowned and snatched his cowboy hat from off a fence post and thrust it onto his head.

"Don't you have any respect? This is my land and you're intruding." He pointed to a sign to ward off trespassers. Jovi yanked her elbows from off of his fence.

"Whatever floats your boat, Jamie. I just wanted to show you this." She held out her hand.

"Received for attending the Egg Festival." Jamie's eyes widened as the little note in Jovi' hand spoke in a cheery voice that reminded him of the feeling of seeing a newly laid egg. "Let's make delicious food with eggs. A note for the wonderful smell." It flickered and was gone.

"Not too shabby, huh?" Jovi slid her hands into her overall pockets. "I'm getting better at earning them. The Harvest Goddess will be free in no time."

Jamie shook himself out of a daze and glowered, saying, "You can't possibly free her. You're too unfocused. You don't take all of this seriously. It's not a game, you immature numbskull."

"Sticks and stones, Jamie, darling," she said as she skipped away. Jamie let out another one of his signature humphs.

Back in her house, Jovi stretched. It had been a long day and she had met a new boy who she now had developed a small crush on. Also, she had gained another note and attended her first Flower Bud festival.

_Dear Diary,_ she wrote.

_Today was fantastic. My turnips are growing quite nicely. They'll be ready to harvest really soon._

_ The Egg Festival was today, and, well, me being as ADD as I am, I got distracted by a birdie and followed it all the way up into the mountain, where I face-planted in front of a fisherman named Ray. He helped me up and, much to my embarrassment, cleaned dirt off of my face. Disgraceful, I mean, really! Why can't I do anything right?_

_ Well, everything turned out okay. Ray is a swell guy and he walked back to town with me. We even sat by each other and ate pudding. My friend, Elle, the one who gave me the puppy, won the egg-judging competition. I was really happy for her. Also, I was a bit happy that Jamie, in fact, did not win. He really is a heartless good-for-nothing meaner most of the- no, all of the time. But later on, when I came home, I saw him _smiling_, with his hat off, petting his dog. It pulled at my heart strings, and, even though he was incredibly rude to me, even after I complimented him, I feel a bit of a soft spot for him. He's like the Grinch who Stole Christmas; he may seem grumpy and unpleasant on the outside, but inside, there's a different him waiting to bubble forth. It's only a matter of time, and I intend to help that inner personality along the way, whether he likes it or not._

_ Getting late, now. Another day, another dol-uh, I mean, note._

_ ~Jovi_

The rancher girl scooped her dog, Finn, up and stuffed him under the blankets. His fur was warm against her skin. He crawled up and stuck his nose out of the linens, snorting a bit. Jovi giggled and gave his snout a nuzzle with her own nose, which was feeling load better now, before turning over and shutting off the light. She drifted off to sleep, her mind floating with thoughts of pudding, blue-eyed fishermen, and plans to change a poncho-wearing bully.


	6. 6

Jovi smacked her lips and yawned, rubbing sleep-grit from her eyes with a finger. Simultaneously, Finn's mouth dropped open too. A small squeak escaped from it. Jovi smiled groggily and rubbed his velvet ears. She was a little slow this morning, due to the festival the night before. She eased out of bed and poured herself a glass of water, before peering out the window. Rain was pouring down, creating a rhythmic pattern on the panes.

"I guess I don't have to water my crops today," she concluded. A rough scratching sound broke the evenness of the falling precipitation. She looked over to the front door where Finn was clawing at the wood grain with his paw. He whined miserably. Jovi realized that he hadn't been out to pee yet.

"You'd better go, fast, or else you'll make a watery mess and you'll have to take a bath," she warned, then opened the door. Finn looked warily at her, and then rushed into the downpour. Jovi left the door open for him to come back in and went to look for a towel to put in the doorway. When she found one, she spread it on the floor, then sat down and waited for the dog so she could attack him with the warm cloth, soaking up all the spring tears. Five minutes passed; nothing. Ten minutes. Fifteen. Jovi was beginning to get antsy.

Finally, she stood up and threw on her clothes but didn't bother to find her raincoat. She jogged outside and was instantly drenched from head to toe. Her boots made a soggy squelchy noise and her bangs clung to her forehead in a pattern that would resemble the roots of a plant in the ground.

"Finn!" she called. "Finn, come here boy!" She whistled through her teeth- he usually came running when she did that- but there was no response. She hurried over to the Blue Sky Ranch.

Blue, Ellen's cousin, opened the door, and after a speedy, out-of-breath introduction, he said that he hadn't seen Finn today. Jovi thanked him for his time, then rushed around the bend in the road to Jamie's house. She banged on his door. Kdonk! Kdonk!

A peeved-looking boy with purple hair answered.

"What do you want, nimrod? Got locked out of your house? Well, I'm not surprised and you aren't coming in, if that's what you want. You're soaking wet."

His words stung, but Jovi shrugged it off and clasped her dripping hands in front of her.

"Please, my dog ran off into the rain and I can't find him! Have you seen him come by this way? He's little and light brown with floppy ears and white paws." Jovi's voice was frantic.

"No, I haven't seen your stupid mutt. Go away, I'm busy," Jamie grumbled and slammed the door in Jovi's face.

Suddenly, mixed in with the raindrops, tears began to slide down the blue-eyed girl's face. She made a noise of deep sorrow and anguish, and then scurried down the path.

Jamie opened the door once more and stared after the crying girl.

_Snap… did I do that?_ he thought, then sighed and pulled his boots on.

_So troublesome_, he grumbled in his mind as he entered the continuous curtain of rain.

Jovi searched through the entire village; the town square, the beach, the slopes to the mountains, all around the little shops and neighboring ranches, people's pastures. Finn was nowhere to be found. It was closing in on night when Jovi finally stopped running. She looked straight in front of her, not blinking, tears tumbling down her cheeks.

"Finn…" she whispered, her voice ragged from calling him so many times. He had been her best friend from the very start, a close companion, and her only family in this new place. All the tiny, sparkling particles of hope left Jovi's heart and she trudged home, her feet waterlogged and sore. By the time it was dark, the rain had slowed down quite a bit. Jovi stood in front of her house, hanging her head, tendrils of yellow hair covering her face. A note came, but there was no happy, shining feeling.

"Received for working 10 hours non-stop in the rain," it started. "You can hear an upbeat rhythm if you run around in the rain without caring whether you get wet."

Jovi closed her freezing fingers around the note and opened her door. She picked the towel up from off the floor and wrapped it around her shoulders. She changed into her night shirt and sat in her bed. She was warm, now, but she was frostbitten inside. Her head numb from heartache, she closed her eyes and nodded off to sleep.

How much time had passed, whether it was five minutes or five hours, Jovi didn't know, but after whatever period of time passed, someone rapped on her front door. Still half-asleep, Jovi answered it, her big nightshirt slanted off one shoulder.

Jamie stood before her, shivering in the drizzle, holding Finn in his arms.

Jovi's eyes shot open.

"Jamie… I thought you… but you said…" She tripped over her words.

"Take… your… stupid… dog," Jamie growled between bursts of chattering teeth.

Jovi spotted her towel from earlier on the floor and snatched it. She folded it around Finn, and then cuddled him close.

"I don't know how you found him or why you decided to help, but thank you so so so much, Jamie." Jovi said it like she meant it, and she did.

"Whatever, just be more responsible next time," he grumbled, then turned toward his house.

Suddenly, warm, dry arms found their way around Jamie's middle section.

"Hey! What the-?!"

The front of Jovi's pajamas was now damp from Jamie's wet poncho, but she didn't care.

"You're a good person, Jamie," she said, giving him a squeeze. The purple-haired young man scowled, though inside, happiness fluttered like a dragonfly in a dusty corner of his heart.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, pulling away from the embrace.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Jovi waved as he disappeared around the corner.

She turned and stood in front of Finn with her arms on her hips. He cowered in the blanket.

"Bath time, Mr. Escapee."

After giving the wet, smelly puppy a very thorough bath in the sink and cleaning herself up for bed properly, Jovi snuggled Finn between her thighs and her torso and began scribbling her latest entry into her diary.

_Dear Diary,_

_Yesterday, I wouldn't have known that a crisis would happen today. If only I could go back in time and give my day-younger self pointers on what would happen._

_Finn ran away into a particularly nasty rainstorm. I was out for hours, HOURS, searching for him. When I had given up and come back home to mope in my bed, here comes Jamie, shivering and shaking so much I thought his teeth would pop out of his head, with Finn in his arms. Something is happening here, I know it. Could it be that Jamie's true self is beginning to squeeze its tiny body through the dark, unfriendly cloud of Jamie at last? I certainly hope so._

_Off to bed now. It's been a rather eventful day._

_~Jovi_

Happier than she had ever been in probably her entire life, Jovi slipped into slumber holding her puppy close.

At the Jamie Ranch, the cowboy hat scrooge himself was getting ready for bed. He wrung his poncho out and hung his hat up to dry. He finally lay in his bed which seemed all the warmer from him being out in that blasted rain. His mind wandered to when Jovi had hugged him out of gratitude. He had liked that, even though he hadn't shown it and had ended it soon after it began. He had actually wanted to stay in that moment for as long as possible, but he had cut it short out of pride. Come to think of it, he was always prideful. He never thought about others. This was the first act of kindness that he had committed in years. He really hated himself now, after stepping back and looking on his stained soul. But he couldn't be better. It would make him look weak. He would have to wear his hard turtle-shell for a bit longer.

* * *

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	7. 7

The morning was bright and sunny, in high contrast to the day before. Dew sparkled on every surface and the sky was still pink and orange when Jovi awoke. She hopped out from under the sheets, wiggled her toes, and rolled her shoulders up and down. She felt surprisingly good.

"Thank God I'm not sick or anything," she said to herself as she dressed for the day. Letting Finn out with a short, sharp look of admonition, she followed the side of her house around and beamed at what lay before her.

The milky tops of plump turnips peaked out from under the ground and a tuft of floppy green leaves protruded from their tops like hair. Enthusiastically, she set to work harvesting her produce. She dropped seventeen into the shipping box, kept two, and fed one to Finn, who happened to be very fond of vegetables. Jovi had a faint idea for a recipe including turnips that she might try later on.

"Today is a good day, huh, Finn?" she asked the puppy who was licking his bear paws clean with a pink tongue.

On the other hand, Jamie was not having such a grand time as Jovi. He had caught a nasty cold from being in the rain for so long. He pulled the blankets up over his face and stared into the cloth.

_Stupid Jovi and her stupid dog_, he thought before he erupted into a violent fit of sneezing. His nose was running but he was too weak to fetch himself a tissue. His ears and head boomed and his muscles and eyes ached. He felt as if he couldn't get warm enough under his patterned quilt, but his body poured out perspiration. Jamie was miserable.

"Oh! I've got nothing to plant, now!" Jovi discovered. Finn cocked his head to the left. "I have to go and buy some more seeds. Do you want to come with me?"

"Rrrrran!" replied Finn.

"You have to promise not to wander off." She crouched before him. He licked her check feverously. "Alright, alright, I believe you," she laughed.

The girl and her furry companion trotted down the path to the Spring Farm, where they sold the seeds for the crops that were in season. They arrived after a bit and Jovi stuck her head in the doorway. The air was cool inside. No one was at the counter.

"Hello?" Jovi called. "Anyone home?"

A flustered Nina hurried forward from the other room.

"Sorry! My mother is out shopping and she left me in charge. I was making breakfast and forgot to watch the store. Sorry." The pink-haired girl seemed embarrassed.

"Don't sweat it," Jovi smiled and walked further into the shop, Finn on her heels. "I came to buy some more seeds."

"Oh! Did your turnips turn out well?"

"Yeah! Finn says they taste absolutely superb, isn't that right, Finn?"

"Arrrran!"

Nina's eyes darted down to look upon the floppy-eared puppy named Finn.

"A dog! Oh, how I love animals!" She sped around the counter and collapsed on her knees before Finn, squeezing his cheeks, telling him how adorable he was and how much she wished for a pet like him, and petting his silky fur.

"Your dog's so nice! I can't even go near Jamie's dog- it's so aggressive. There was a rumor going around a while back that it was actually a wolf!" Her face was expressive as she said, "I even believed it for a while."

She laughed and Jovi joined in.

"Speaking of Jamie, I heard from Bob that he hasn't made any shipments this morning. He usually has all of his crops in the box by seven. I wonder what's wrong." Nina tapped her chin with a finger.

"Bob? I'm afraid I haven't met him, yet," admitted Jovi.

"Bob is the one who takes care of Flower Bud's deliveries and pays the people who ship them. He's a really nice guy, but he can come on strong at first. I'm sure you'll like him," Nina nodded.

"I see. I live up by Jamie," the new rancher said.

"Perhaps you should drop by and see how he's doing."

"I just might. Finn got lost last night in the rain and Jamie found him and brought him home. I think Jamie's really just a big softie," Jovi giggled.

"A… softie, huh?" Nina processed this in her little head and Jovi browsed through the seed pouches before her on the counter.

"Can I take four of these 'breadfruits'?" she asked. "What are breadfruits anyways?"

Nina stood and said, "They're a necessary ingredient for pastries and breads. It takes seven days to grow and you can harvest it more than once. That will be three hundred and fifteen G's."

Jovi paid and bid the girl farewell. As the new farmer left, Nina crossed her arms over her chest and hummed thoughtfully.

"Jamie's a softie now? He isn't kind to anyone else." She mulled it over in her head before reaching a shocking conclusion. She ran to Blue Sky Ranch to tell Ellen.

_Kdonk! Kdonk! Kdonk! _Jovi rapped on Jamie's door. She had been trying for about five minutes. Her foot tapped impatiently. She didn't like being held up. Finally, she trudged around his big house and balanced on a fence post. She clung to a window ledge and peered inside. She felt wrong for doing it, but she needed to know what was up with Jamie. Suddenly, she drew in a sharp breath.

There, in a bed with the sheets and pillows in a jumble, Jamie lay, red-faced and not moving.

"Oh no." Jovi's breath fogged up the window even though it was at least seventy degrees Fahrenheit outside. "He must've caught a bug from running around in the rain looking for Finn."

At the mention of his name, below her, Finn whimpered. Then he shot straight up and barked loudly in one direction, his tail wagging with either excitement or apprehension. Across the way, a black figure stood majestically on four legs.

"Is that… a dog?" Jovi squinted.

It was, indeed, a dog. Jamie's dog to be precise. It glared at Jovi and Finn from afar, its lip folded upward in a silent snarl. Then, it strutted boldly over and growled loudly, bearing white canines.

Jovi, as smoothly and quietly as possible, stepped down from the fence and bent before the animal.

"It's okay, doggie. I won't hurt you. I just want to help Jamie."

Unperturbed, he arched his back and barked once.

However, Jovi was also unafraid. She stuck out her hand for the dog to smell her. He did, and although he didn't react nicely to her friendly gesture, he didn't react badly, and he swaggered proudly away, leaving Jovi and Finn alone.

"Let's hurry. Jamie is sick and we have to help him get better," Jovi said and hefted Finn under one arm and scurried around the bend to their house. In her small kitchen, she chopped up one of the turnips she saved and dropped it in some boiling water. She added salt moderately and bits of a green herb she'd found at the base of a tree earlier that day after finishing up with harvesting her turnips.

Soon, it was bubbling and putting off a rather therapeutic-smelling vapor. Carefully, she carried the still-hot dish over to Jamie's house. Not bothering to knock, she tried the doorknob and found it was locked. She knew, from city life, that usually, people put extra house keys outside their doors just in case. Cleverly, Jovi found one under the doormat and unlocked the door with a _kaclick!_ Not wasting any time, she found the closest bathroom and rummaged about in the medicine cabinet for aspirin and a thermometer. She found both and hastened to Jamie's side. He looked terrible.

Jovi shoved the thermometer in his mouth and his eyes shot open and he flung up in bed.

"What are you doing in my house?!" he hollered and then winced as his head rang painfully. "H-how did you even get in here?" He said this more calmly and cringed as the words came out.

"I know a few things about keys," Jovi put simply. "Come on, lay back down. You're lucky to be conscious right now. You're temperature is…" She read the little red line in the glass tube. "A hundred and four."

Jamie sighed. "If you had just taken care of your silly dog, this wouldn't have happened."

Jovi sighed too. "I know. I'm sorry."

"I could probably report you to the mayor for breaking and entering."

"I know. But I couldn't just stand by and watch you suffer, after everything you did for me, finding Finn and all," she brushed a few strands of his purple hair back from his sweaty, hot forehead. Jamie was glad his face was ruby with fever so that Jovi couldn't see the blush conquering his cheeks. The girl with yellow hair left for a minute and returned with a cold wet washcloth. She pressed it against Jamie's skin as he looked off into space, trying not to make eye contact with his new personal nurse.

"I brought you some soup. Do you want it?"

Reluctantly, Jamie looked up at Jovi and nodded. He hadn't eaten a thing today. Jovi helped him sit up slowly and relax against three layers of pillows. She placed the steaming soup before him and watched as he carefully slurped down a mouthful.

"How is it? Does it taste good?" She leaned forward enthusiastically.

He nodded. "Yes, it's good. You made it with your turnips, didn't you?"

Jovi smiled big. "Uh huh. I didn't really have a recipe to go off of. I just kind of winged it- tried my luck at a new dish."

Jamie jolted.

"I was the tester of an experiment recipe? I could've been poisoned!" He was aghast.

"But you weren't, right?" Jovi said quickly. "And how do you feel?"

"Better than before," he said after pausing.

"See?" She grinned from ear to ear. Jamie looked away and stirred his turnip soup a little to cool it off.

"You're really annoying," he said, but there really wasn't any bitterness in his voice.

"I don't try to be," she said back and handed him a couple aspirin tablets. "I just try to be myself."

Jamie thought about the hard exoskeleton he wore to make himself look tough and unemotional. What he saw when he looked at Jovi was really her- not some made-up pawn. He wanted that, too.

"Thank you… for coming over… even though you didn't have to," he said quietly, then took another sip of broth and swallowed the aspirin.

"Please, Jamie, don't be so modest. It was the least I could do. It's my fault you got sick anyways," Jovi said. She stood up. "Now, is there anything that I can do for you while you rest? Water crops? Feed animals? Anything?"

"Well…" He thought for a moment. "The livestock need to be put out to pasture and the crops need to be harvested and watered… But you don't have to-"

"Okay then, I'll be back in a bit to check up on you," Jovi cut him off and went out the front door. Jamie stared at his soup.

_Why does she have to be so… good?_ he asked himself as he ate silently.

Outside, Jovi filled Jamie's watering can- which was a load nicer than her hand-me-down one- and swept a sheet of water over each plant. There were so many. She harvested turnips, breadfruit, potatoes, cabbages- all of which she placed in Jamie's shipping box.

"That had to have cost a fortune," Jovi said to herself in envy.

Next, she hopped over the wooden stakes creating a perimeter around a grassy section of land and entered a large stable. Two sheep and a cow turned their heads toward Jovi and blinked dark eyes. She picked up a bell from a shelf on the wall, held it above her head, and rang it. The animals lurched into action, hurrying out the door. She put the bell back and walked outside. The cows and sheep were munching on the long green grass happily. Jovi smiled.

"I wonder when I'll get livestock, too."

Her work was done, so Jovi returned to Jamie's side to find he was fast asleep, an empty bowl in his hands. She took the dish and set it aside. Then she flipped the cold washcloth around on his forehead to the unused side. He didn't budge.

"Poor Jamie," she sighed.

Jamie's eyes fluttered open. He sat up and looked around him. Outside the window, the sky was dark.

"Agh! The animals!" he exclaimed when he realized that he had been in bed the entire day and went to throw the blankets off himself, but stopped as his hands felt a piece of paper that had been laid on his stomach. He held it before his eyes. A little purple flower with a green stem decorated the front of the folded sheet and a yellow and black bumble bee leading a curvy dotted line hovered above the petals. Jamie opened it up. Inside, in the same happy purple as the flower, words had been scrawled in untidy handwriting.

_Jamie,_

_Don't worry; I put the livestock back in the barn. Just stay in bed and get better. I'll be over to check on you in the morning. _

_Rest well, _

_Jovi_

_P.S. Did you know you talk in your sleep? You kept going on about squirrels and things. _

Jamie set the paper on his nightstand and lay back down. He closed his eyes. She'd be over in the morning.

At Jovi's house, she looked at the packets of breadfruit seeds in her hands.

"I didn't get a thing planted today," she said. "At least I helped Jamie out…"

Tired from the hectic day, she gathered up Finn in her arms and tucked herself into bed. Her diary entry for that night read,

_Dear Diary,_

_I feel like such a dope. Because I didn't keep watch Finn more carefully and he got lost, Jamie is ill today because he was out all night in the rain looking for him. So, naturally, I just had to give him a helping hand. I made him some soup- with my own home-grown turnips- and worked around his farm for him. I must say, that was the sickest I've seen anyone. His temperature was way up there and his face was all red. I feel really guilty. I'm going to go check on him in the morning. I hope he won't hate me that much._

_~Jovi_

Finally, she laid the little book of her thoughts down and snuggled into the mattress. Within minutes, she was fast asleep.

* * *

Merry Christmas, everyoooooonnnneeeee~!


End file.
